On Saturday, October 26th, 2024, SOFSA hosted our second annual Food Justice Gathering at Plymouth Congregational Church in downtown Syracuse. Organized around the theme of “Cultivating Resilience,” the Gathering was inspired by the thoughtful organizing–both presently and historically– of communities working to meet their needs amid a changing landscape. Throughout the day attendees sought to nurture interdependence, share wisdom, and shift into a mindset of abundance.
The day began with a delicious breakfast from Fat Cat Baking. At the Opening Ceremony, SOFSA Board Member Rev. Beth DuBois delivered an interfaith blessing to usher in the day, and welcomed SOFSA’s Executive Director Maura Ackerman, who shared a land acknowledgement and gratitude for the coalition. The Keynote, Cheyenne Sundance, co-founder of Sundance Commons, shared her experience as a Black, small-scale urban farmer in Canada working to shift power in the food system through land access, farmer education, and incubation programs. She emphasized the need to develop capacity within organizations to sustain the work for the long-haul.
Common Councilor Chol Majok took the stage next, inviting attendants to exercise their right to vote and continuously seek out a seat at the table. Folks not yet registered were able to do so at a our voter registration station managed by Rebecca Garafano. Mary Nickson, artist and activist, closed out the guest speakers with an original song, after which Maura Ackerman took the stage again, sharing reflections about SOFSA’s first 5 years of building a network for change. She highlighted SOFSA’s community listening sessions and community-centric funding streams. For more information about SOFSA’s work, click here.
Following the opening ceremony, attendees could choose between 4 different sessions. In the Sanctuary, Micah Orieta moderated SOFSA’s first Spanish-interpreted panel, where panelists shared about the importance of worker organizing and drew connections across immigration status, policy, precarity, and community support. Charles Carrier, in Memorial Hall, convened urban farmers to talk about the challenges and opportunities in pursuing food justice through urban agriculture. In the workshop spaces, Adult Ed and Kirtland Hall, Avalon Gupta-VerWiebe led folks in making ginger bug sodas, while Tim Bryant and Maria Bianchetti facilitated a survey of at-home composting practices.
After morning sessions wrapped up, attendees headed down to Kirtland Hall for lunch, catered by Miss Prissy’s.Lunch provided the backdrop for the 2024 Food Justice Fund grantees to share stories about how they utilized the small grants to advance their projects. Terrilicia Shipe invited attendees to apply to be part of the Food Justice Fund Leadership Council, and help steward over $40k in available funding for the program. Participation in the council is paid, and applications are being accepted until Nov 13. For support with the application, please email renee@syrfoodalliance.org
As lunch wrapped up, Elise Springuel of Onondaga Food Rescue Network explained how the organization rescues and distributes food to reduce food waste and support emergency food access. Throughout the day, OFRN recovered untouched food from the gathering and delivered it to the Rescue Mission Alliance. As lunch came to a close, folks were ushered into the afternoon session of their choice. Angela Ferguson of the Onondaga Nation Farm demonstrated how to process corn while sharing stories of indigenous resilience through food. Attendees gathered with Maura Ackerman to learn how to leverage their personal stories to advance advocacy campaigns. Back in the Sanctuary, in a session moderated by Renee Marcoux, activists spoke about how to pursue environmental justice in the face of climate change and economic and racial injustices.
After the afternoon sessions came to a close, we celebrated SOFSA’s 5-year anniversary together. Tables were arranged to host community resource tables, a mini-farmers market by Plum and Mule, mocktails and hor d’oeuvres, SOFSA merchandise, lino art-making, and the Reciprocity Raffle.
The Celebration was emceed by Community Connector Brittany Taylor and SOFSA Board Member Amy Grover. The atmosphere was lightened with amazing music by DJ Shy Guy.
Awards honorees included:
SOFSA Leadership Transitions: Ethan Tyo, Mable Wilson, and Brittany Taylor
Abundance Award: Qiana Williams, Central NY Community Foundation,
Reciprocity Award: Angie Ferguson, Onondaga Nation Farm
Innovation Award: Rebecca Garafano, Syracuse City School District
Resilience Award: Evan Weissman (in memoriam) and Family
The Reciprocity Raffle was filled with beautiful and memory-making prizes.
As a way to create inclusive and accessible participation for all, we strive to have childcare, interpretation, dietary, and ADA accommodations for all SOFSA events. If you have feedback or questions about any of these, please reach out to info@syrfoodalliance.org
Our shared joys and sorrows at the current state of our food system were evident in the thoughtful discussions and participation during each session. Watching folks move through the space and connect with one another, we at SOFSA are more sure than ever of our collective resilience. Every one of our combined skills, knowledge, experiences, and passion will drive our ability to remake our regional food system into one of abundance for all.
In a day filled with gratitude for our shared resiliency, we wanted to give a very special thanks to the hard-working staff, Plymouth Congregational Church, volunteers, attendees, and sponsors for such a wonderful day.
As we ended our time together in celebration and gratitude, we continue to look forward to a year of movement building and enduring collective resilience. Stay tuned for a SOFSA announcement about Food Justice Gathering 2025. We’re already planning for an amazing day!